I want people to respect me more: a case of Blatta orientalis

by David Mundy

Woman, 47 years oldMusician
and dancer, tall and muscular. She is animated. She looks down at the floor
while giving her case and glances upwards as she speaks.

Presenting complaint“Since my daughter was born, I’ve been feeling breathless all the time. I had
several medical examinations but no doctors could tell me what I had. I am very
allergic to cleaning products like
floor cleaners or bleach, they make me breathless.”

Dreams and Fears“Cockroaches– and I am very scared of them in real
life.“Fighting
with my mother – I wake up screaming.“I used to wake up screaming when I was a kid if
I dreamed of cockroaches. I hate
cockroaches +++.Also
spiders and flies, but cockroaches are worse. I don’t like to be in closed spaces nor in
crowded ones."There is a dream that’s been repeating from
time to time since I was a kid. I dream I have
a house (that I don’t know in real life) and there are some bedrooms that I
didn’t know before. The house is much bigger than I thought. Sometimes, it is a bit dirty and slummy but it’s very
comfortable. There is one bedroom that looked like a dressing room full of
mirrors and lights. This bedroom was hidden behind the kitchen.”

Family and Relating to Others“I
have severe problems with my parents. My
father was always away and my mother was very difficult. My incompatibility with my mother got
worse over the years. She irritates
me and makes me angry. I thought my mother would be more human when my father died. She was not born to be a mother.”

Respect and Recognition“I
give too much to people but I’ve never
had the credit for my great ideas. I
want to have more respect for me,
and for my work, I want people to
respect me more. “I
am talented but I never got the
recognition I deserved. For
example, I knew this guy who is now rich
and famous doing the same stuff as me. I had a bit of recognition, but not
like him. He is now famous! “I
would love to have more respect in
my professional life. “I'm
arrogant but I pretend to be
otherwise. “I
treat people equally, but it seems
that the more arrogance one has, the
more respect you get. “I
don’t belong in my home country any more. I'm free of my family here in UK. In England,people have more respect for each other. “Feeling
of not belonging or having a friend who thinks the same. I like like-minded
groups of people.”

Winners and losers “I
feel no one wins in this life; you win one day and then lose the next day.“Everyone
is selfish, it’s all Facebook and 5 minutes of fame.“Music
these days is so aggressive, there is no
sophistication. It’s all much too loud.“There
is so much rubbish around. Old films
are better. I want to study cinema and arts.“I
wish I was more cynical.”

Active “I
like dancing+++ and the sound of stepping.“I
like aerobic exercise.“I
wanted to be like an Olympic gymnast.“I
love movement+++.”

AnalysisShe
is animated and excitable; she loves music and dance. She is competitive and
envious of others’ success while she feels she is unrecognised. She feels
cheated by others. Talking of other people as ‘humans’ suggests an animal
remedy.

She
has many Insect remedy themes. The need for respect, her desire to be famous
and recognised, feeling envious of those who are more famous and respected. She
has the single symptom of Blatta, ‘Envy
or jealousy to those venerated’.

Remedy: Blatta orientalis 200 single dose

Follow
up one month later: “The night I
took the remedy, I felt (I could almost
visualise) my chest opening. It was a refreshing
feeling as if there was some mint in there. It wasa very strong sensation.
After a week, I wasn't breathless any
more. I was still feeling unbalanced but I’m much better. It is so nice to breathe again.”

Dreams“Last
night, I dreamed of cockroaches –
they were dead in the living room
and the floor was dirty, someone had
killed them. Then, I actually saw a cockroach in my room!“You
need to know how to play the game of life. It’s important to have a mask – I need to wear it. I'm too exposed and don’t like it. Everyone
knows what’s happening to me. I need to feel more secure and powerful. I want
more stability. “It is very hard to
trust people, even my mum. My mum telephoned me, she asked nothing about me,
she never does, it’s strange. I don’t want to turn into my mum with my own
daughter. I read about a 12 year old boy who killed his step father.“I've
been polluting myself (too much
smoking). I often vomit after yoga, not this time, I felt so good. Yoga is good
for me; I go 3 or 4 times a week. It’s
nice to breathe again.“My
remedy has been good for my partner. He is doing things, like going to the gym,
taking care of himself.I
feel life is getting better. Before going to sleep, I imagine what I want to
become. It’s good. I’m sleeping much better.”

Remedy: wait

The
patient had two more doses of Blatta 200 over the year and is doing
well. No more breathing problems.

SourceBlatta
orientalis (Indian cockroach)

Themes:
Social
position – feels excluded, disrespected, unrecognised, treated like dirtFeels belittled by other jealous people who are
greedy for fame, money, propertyAnger, irritability and rudeness to family members
or loved ones, even to hatredDesire to be sophisticated, polished, cool,
organised, attractive, talentedFeel suffocated (psychologically &
physically)Love travel and being pampered